This invention relates to a method for manufacturing a catalyst substrate, a catalyst substrate as prepared according to the invention, and a catalyst based on said substrate. The substrate is suitable for manufacturing catalysts for a number of different reactions including Fischer-Tropsch reaction.
Many catalytic reactions are mass transfer-limited. For these reactions it is important that the reaction components have easy access to the catalytic sites, and that the reaction products can easily be removed from the catalytic sites. For these types of reactions catalyst accessibility is of prime importance.
For example for Fisher-Tropsch reactions, catalysts have been used based on porous substates. WO2006/037776 describes the use of woven or non-woven metal structures in the shape of blankets, and porous catalyst elements based on gauze, sponge, foam, foil constructs, mesh, or webbing material.
It has been found that the wire structures used as catalyst substrate known in the art often have insufficient strength. Further, they are difficult to obtain in different shapes, and depending on the nature of the material, they may be quite costly. For example, a substrate based on drawn wires is quite expensive due to the high cost of the starting material.
There is therefore a need for a process for manufacturing a catalyst substrate which allows the use of relatively inexpensive starting materials, which allows manufacturing substrates in different shapes, and which provides catalyst substrates with good strength and porosity characteristics. There is also need for a catalyst substrate which combines high strength with good porosity characteristics, ease of manufacture, and availability of different shapes.